202 Next to the Ground 



flight toward the cage. Patsy had propped 

 open the door and hung a bit of tempting 

 green inside. Slowly, with much glancing 

 about, and turning of the head, the bird hopped 

 toward it. At the door he stopped, looked 

 inside, then half drew back. But the next 

 breath he flew boldly upon a perch of it, and 

 made no motion to fly out when he saw Patsy 

 coming to shut him in. He always showed 

 her afterward a distant friendliness, but never 

 permitted the least familiarity, though she 

 kept him until the trees bloomed in the or- 

 chard, and she found him singing love to a 

 small meek-looking browny-red creature, who 

 fluttered anxiously around his cage. 



Somehow Joe never found a jay bird in his 

 traps. Jays were plenty and hungry and 

 thievish no end. Joe was sure they ate at 

 least half his bait, as he was. also sure they 

 sprung the triggers of the traps pretty often in 

 the eating. Naturally there was a reason for 

 not finding them. The reason lived and 

 moved and answered to the name of Dan. 

 Dan stole the jays, not because he loved them, 

 but because he hated and feared them. He 

 believed superstitiously, you see, that no jay 

 was ever visible of a Friday. They spent all 

 the Fridays in carrying sticks to the devil 

 sticks with which to kindle extra hot fires 

 under all the bad black people j further, that 



